Football Season 2012/2013

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23351824

This is bullshit. Blatter needs to retire and someone with some common sense take over.

- - - Updated - - -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23346190

That however is pretty awesome.

If they can't put the tournament on in the summer, it should be given to a country that can. Fucking Step Ladder and his bribed cohorts thinking "oh, let's have it in Qatar so that we can hobnob with some kings and princes" and forgetting that the day-time temperatures start around 40°C at dawn and go up beyond 50.

You can't have the World Cup in winter. Good luck telling Moyes, Wenger, Mourinho et al that they can't field their first team for two months of the season and not leaving with a broken nose. Fucking disgrace.

[koodledrum]

I'm not even worried about managers losing the rag, I'm sane enough to understand heat brings inherrent risks & also savvy enough to understand that these things require one thing which all the corruption in the world won't hide you from - INSURANCE. Good luck finding an underwriter to cover the tournament in an affordable manager for Qatar, because I know I wouldn't sign off on that, not when you're looking at those sorts of temperatures and well, it might be 40-50c normally, but in a stadium on the pitch you can probably add 20% onto that easily.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

More FIFA madness.

Fifa and Uefa have lost an appeal against a European ruling that the World Cup and Euro Championships must be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK.

In 2011, the European General Court said the UK could keep the events on a list of "protected" events of national sporting interest broadcast for free.

It means the two tournaments cannot be sold exclusively to pay-TV firms.

Fifa and Uefa had appealed, after saying they could not sell the events fairly for their real value.

But the European Court of Justice - Europe's Supreme Court - has now said the original decision in the General Court (formerly Court of First Instance) in 2011 was correct.

The BBC and ITV had already secured the rights to broadcast the football World Cup finals in 2014, and they were guaranteed of being shown free-to-air.

But there had been fears that moves towards a pay-TV model would have been in place in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, should Fifa and Uefa have won their case.

[Jackmoves]

Just an article about Everton and Gothia Cup. Google translate(so not perfect english)!

They have brought up players such as Wayne Rooney, Victor Anichebe and Jack Rodwell.

IFK Gothenburg P17-team have just lost to Everton in the last match before the playoffs. 4-0 was the final score and Everton was the dominating side. Thanks to the result, the English team secured first place in the group.

- We've been playing well and become better every match. So we hope we can go far, it will be tough in the playoffs against Elfsborg who have won their first three games but we will hopefully do well against them, says Kevin Sheedy, coach for Everton's seventeen year olds.

The Academy is something that the club is proud of. They train players in various age groups, from six year olds to eighteen year olds. Kevin Sheedy and the old Everton player Duncan Ferguson is in charge of the players between 16 and 18. The age at which players should take that last step.

- We make them ready for professional football. It is the biggest hurdle they must cross. When they are eighteen, they must take a big step to get a professional contract, says Kevin Sheedy.

Several succeed. Last year, seven players fought for a professional contract with Everton. Four got it, another got a contract with the Stoke, and two more in the lower professional divisions. Something that the coaches are proud of.

In the match against IFK Göteborg were two things clear. The difference in physics - the English was bigger, heavier and stronger and the passing game.

- We are trying to introduce a style of play based on excellence in the passing game, more patience and passing. Try not to be so direct but build from the back, he says.

That does not sound so British.

- I think the Premier League is changing, and we must all change. We've been playing like this for a year now and have had great success.

Everton have a large staff at the Academy. Ten full-time coaches available, and in addition there are physiotherapists, materials managers and scouts, both in England and abroad. They hope more players follow Wayne Rooney's footsteps and break into the professional world.

- There's only one Wayne Rooney, but there's a couple of players in the team here who have amazing talent. They need to develop more and get better, but it will do. They have a desire to play for Everton, and it showed here today, says Kevin Sheedy.

[koodledrum]

FIFA & UEFA essentially attempted to circumvent UK law, no great surprise there - should have hired the SFA's lawyers, they're good at circumventing Scottish law that's for sure! Their stance shows they care more about the dollar than the game, for me the World Cup & similar status tournaments should be encouraging every child, regardless as to social status or background to watch & play football, if you make it exclusive on pay to view channels it becomes detrimental to that ideal. (As it stands it's broadcast on BBC - which is actually pay to view) Had this gone through the UK government would then have had a serious case that sovereign law is being undermined which would be particularly useful to them as the Tories are itching for scraps of things where they can point out to the electorate that the EU's gotta go.

Rangers now 4 games unbeaten in pre-season with 4 clean sheets, pleasing! And Celtic managed a comfortable 3-0 win away at Cliftonville in their Champions League qualifier, true to form though Lennon was bleating about them playing qualifiers so early in the season - don't bitch at anyone other than the SFA, who continue to allow diddy teams to play qualifiers only to get pumped!

[Deleted]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23351824

This is bullshit. Blatter needs to retire and someone with some common sense take over.

- - - Updated - - -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23346190

That however is pretty awesome.

Preview of Qatar 2022

[Valeron]

Reports out now that Tito Vilanova will be stepping down as coach of Barcelona due to health reasons. Press conference is scheduled at 2030 today.

Edit:

And that is indeed the case. Animo Tito.

Next coach for them will be from outside the club. Bielsa would be a natural fit for them I think.

[Norganon]

Poor Tito.
Statement from Real Madrid.

[draykorinee]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-23379142 RM beat bournemouth! Shock result.

[Northern Goblin]

I'm amazed (and impressed) that Madrid brought all the big guns for this match. Bet the locals haven't seen the likes of it for a few decades at least.

[koodledrum]

I'm amazed and shocked that Ronaldo didn't score 6 by himself!

6 days til kick off of competitive games - might only be the Ramsdens Cup but fuck it, I want to win that this year!

[Northern Goblin]

Season kicks off Sunday for you guys?

I was going to close the thread just before August 1st in time for the Championship and below.

[draykorinee]

Season kicks off Sunday for you guys?

I was going to close the thread just before August 1st in time for the Championship and below.

The Ramsdens cup is pretty meaningless but I guess its the start of a season for scotland.

[Deleted]

Tata Martino new Barça coach, not a bad choice

[draykorinee]

Tata Martino new Barça coach, not a bad choice

Never heard of him, so Im going to go with some backstaff member of someone who is known for being good by a handful of people but actually has little to show on the grand scale.

[Valeron]

He coached Paraguay to the quarterfinals of the last WC and he also just coached Newells Old Boys to the Argentina league title. He is a "disciple" of Bielsa but I think he is a bit more pragmatic. I also think it's a good choice.

[koodledrum]

Season's been in play for a week now, 3 Scottish teams kicked off in Europe already, the league cup kicks off a week on Saturday & our first league game is August 10th!

Between now and then we've got friendlies against Sheffield Wednesday, Dundee & Newcastle United - fucking Mike Ashley no doubt getting his rocks off at that (it was billed as a glamour friendly - £13 a ticket), can't wait to kick off the season for real though.

[draykorinee]

He coached Paraguay to the quarterfinals of the last WC and he also just coached Newells Old Boys to the Argentina league title. He is a "disciple" of Bielsa but I think he is a bit more pragmatic. I also think it's a good choice.

Ah as I thought, not somebody I would really have heard of and having seen the fact that Paraguay failed to even score against new zealand/japan and only beat 1 team in normal time, not blown away, almost feels pretentious to say this is a good appointment imo, like when someone says, oh this is a good wine, when really they are just going with the flow.

[Valeron]

Ah as I thought, not somebody I would really have heard of and having seen the fact that Paraguay failed to even score against new zealand/japan and only beat 1 team in normal time, not blown away, almost feels pretentious to say this is a good appointment imo, like when someone says, oh this is a good wine, when really they are just going with the flow.

do you watch any football outside of your island?

[Norganon]

Ah as I thought, not somebody I would really have heard of and having seen the fact that Paraguay failed to even score against new zealand/japan and only beat 1 team in normal time, not blown away, almost feels pretentious to say this is a good appointment imo, like when someone says, oh this is a good wine, when really they are just going with the flow.

It is a good appointment, just because you haven't heard of him doesn't make him a bad coach. He could've easily beaten Spain 3 years ago. He also did great with Newell's Old Boys, semi final of the Copa Libertadores iirc.

He will do fine. Although I certainly hope not.